Author: DW

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz underscored his support for Ukraine at a meeting with the prime ministers of Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland and Iceland on Monday. “We stand united in our support for Ukraine in its defence against the ongoing Russian aggression,” Scholz said in Stockholm. “We will continue to provide our support to Ukraine for as long as it takes.” The Swedish government said earlier that the leaders would “discuss security policy issues such as hybrid threats, civil preparedness and new technologies.” Scholz calls on Europe to support Ukraine Scholz announced that Germany would send a third Patriot air defense system to Ukraine…

Star witness Michael Cohen on Monday appeared at a New York criminal court to testify at former President Donald Trump’s hush money trial. Cohen told jurors that Trump personally approved a hush-money payment to bury a porn star’s story of a sexual encounter before it could derail his 2016 campaign. “Just do it,” Cohen said Trump told him, instructing him to figure out the best way to pay adult film actress Stormy Daniels $130,000 (€120,000) to keep quiet about an alleged 2006 liaison, which he denies. Cohen worked as an executive and lawyer at Trump’s New York-based real estate company…

He is the puppet master of Georgian politics – a man of fabulous wealth and extraordinary power.  And Georgian oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili is the focus of intense opposition as unrest sweeping his country reaches boiling point. From humble origins, he left Georgia to accumulate immense wealth in Russia through close ties with Putin’s chosen few, the kleptocratic elites who have helped themselves to the country’s riches in return for complete loyalty to the Kremlin.He is said to be worth at least $5bn (£3.98bn), a third of his country’s GDP.After returning to Georgia, he acquired enormous influence in his homeland. He…

Switzerland’s Nemo has won the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC), which was held on Saturday in the Swedish city of Malmo. Swiss rapper and singer presented “The Code,” a drum and bass, opera, rap and rock song about Nemo’s journey of self-discovery as a non-binary person. 24-year-old Nemo is the first non-binary winner of the contest and also the first Swiss winner since 1988, when Canadian chanteuse Celine Dion competed under the Swiss flag. At a press conference following the win, Nemo expressed pride in accepting the trophy for “people that are daring to be themselves and people that need to be heard…

Skip next section Germany’s Scholz calls for more arms for Ukraine05/13/2024May 13, 2024Germany’s Scholz calls for more arms for UkraineGerman Chancellor Olaf Scholz has called on other European countries to provide additional military aid to Ukraine At a meeting with Nordic leaders in Sweden, Scholz announced that Germany would send a third patriot air defense system to Ukraine despite having relatively few units in its own arsenal. “But it was important to do that and we hope that some other European countries can follow,” the German chancellor said. He added that Ukraine needs “a lot of munitions, artillery tanks and…

Dubai-based airline Emirates announced record annual profits of $5.1 billion (€4.73 billion) on Monday, surpassing last year’s $3 billion profit and erasing losses incurred during the pandemic. Emirates Group’s airline business alone returned $4.7 billion, up 63%, while its airport services company Dnata also saw profits more than quadruple to $400 million. “The Emirates Group has once again raised the bar to deliver a new record performance,” Chief Executive Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum said in a statement. “The Group’s excellent financial standing today places us in a strong position for future growth and success,” he said. “It enables…

Georgia’s prime minister has vowed to press forward with a controversial “foreign influence” law amid yet another wave of protests in Tbilisi. “Tomorrow the Parliament of Georgia will act on the will of the majority of the population and pass the law in the third reading,” Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said in a televised address on Monday evening. Kobakhidze claimed that if the bill was abandoned, then Georgia would be obliged to pass other laws, such as on “same-sex legalization” and on “uncontrolled immigration.” The bill would require organizations that receive more than 20% of their funding from abroad to register as…

A 16-year-old suspect armed with a rifle has been stopped from entering a church full of children by worshippers during a livestreamed service, say authorities in Louisiana.The boy tried to get into the St Mary Magdalen Church, in Abbeville, through the back door at around 10.30am on Saturday (4.30pm UK time), according to police. A livestream of the incident that was seen by Sky News’ partner outlet NBC News showed a man approaching Reverend Nicholas DuPre after 48 minutes to whisper something.Rev DuPre then stopped the service and asked churchgoers to pray with him, while some people were heard panicking…

Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s memoirs will be published on November 26, the publisher, Kiepenheuer & Witsch, announced on Monday. It comes nearly three years after the end of Merkel’s 16-year tenure.  What we know about Merkel’s memoirs The book, titled “(Freedom). Memories 1954 — 2021,” will be published in over 30 countries, Kiepenheuer & Witsch said.  In her memoirs, Merkel looks back “on her life in two German states — 35 years in East Germany (GDR), 35 years in reunified Germany,” the publisher said. Merkel was born in Hamburg, northwestern Germany, in 1954 but moved with her family to the former GDR shortly afterward. She co-wrote the book…

Star witness Michael Cohen on Monday appeared at a New York criminal court to testify at former President Donald Trump’s hush money trial. Cohen worked as an executive and lawyer at Trump’s New York-based real estate company and also served as the former president’s personal lawyer after the start of Trump’s term in 2017. He has since become an outspoken critic of Trump. At the start of his testimony Cohen said it was “fair” to describe him as Trump’s “fixer” throughout his tenure at the Trump Organization.  Cohen said he lied for Trump Asked whether he had lied and bullied people…